Why Pastors Should Know How Much People Give

Source: Rev. Margaret Marcuson, Christian Citizen

Giving thanks is an essential part of stewardship. Pastors can’t thank individual givers when they don’t know how much people give. They may not even know who gives at all.

Should pastors know who gives and how much people give? It’s a topic that can raise a lot of heat among pastors and with lay leaders. I’ve seen the gamut. Pastors who know everything. Pastors who want to know but can’t get the most basic information. Pastors who have a principle of not knowing.

Some pastors don’t want to know. They are afraid it will affect how they relate to those people. However, pastors know about other deeply personal matters in people’s lives. They have to provide pastoral care to people in a wide range of life circumstances. How they deal with money, including giving, is part of it.

Here are four reasons why pastors should know who gives and how much they give.

1. You need to know for pastoral reasons. When people stop giving, or their giving takes a big drop, you want to know it. Something may be going on in their family life or in their relationship with the church. If you know, you can reach out and check on what’s going on.

2. You want people in leadership who are generous according to their resources. What if someone ends up on the board or finance committee who gives nothing? Christine Roush, CEO of the American Baptist Foundation, says, “Any pastor worth their salt will remember the potential impact and take the appropriate steps for good ministry to that individual. I want to know the commitment level of my congregation. Often, the loudest voices are the least invested. That matters. It’s easy to throw your opinions around with no investment in the ministry.”

3. It’s a spiritual matter — for your people and for you. Stewardship is not simply about raising money for ministry. It includes helping people see all they have as a gift from God. As Christine Roush says, “I also want to know because money is such a big deal in life… A good pastor wants to know which God their members are serving – individually and corporately. Then they minister accordingly.”

4. Every nonprofit leader knows exactly what people give. There’s never a question about it. The same should be true for pastoral leaders. As I noted, you want to thank people appropriately as they give according to their means. Roush adds, “It is the wise pastor who makes sure people get thanked. Truly smart ones thank top donors often and well… Small donations from a person of limited means deserve equal notice and appreciation for their level of Godly commitment. It’s about capacity and commitment.”

Stewardship is not simply about raising money for ministry. It includes helping people see all they have as a gift from God.

If you’re a pastor, what if you want the information but can’t get it? In denominations like the Episcopal Church, the clergy leader automatically has access. In others, like many American Baptist churches, there’s no official policy. In some churches, a single lay leader with the information can stonewall the pastor.

Be patient. See it as a process. It might take a while to get access to the information. In some congregations, it can take years. Make your request. But don’t get into a battle of wills. If you experience resistance, see what information you can get. Ask for a list of givers of record. You may be able to get data on the number of pledges at different levels. Or ask the person who keeps the records to let you know if someone’s giving changes significantly. Then you can connect with them pastorally. Be patient but persistent.

In the call process, you can have a conversation about knowing who gives. That can be easier than trying to make the change after you’ve been there. I know one American Baptist pastor who made it a condition of his call. He said if they called him, he would know who gave what. They wanted to call him. They said yes even though that was new to the congregation. It was soon a non-issue.

Pastoral ministry includes wise handling of sensitive information. That should include who gives and how they give.